Youcef Atal: Algerian Football Sensation Receives Suspended Sentence and $49,000 Fine for Controversial Israel-Gaza Post
Algerian footballer Youcef Atal, representing OGC Nice, has been fined $49,000 and received a suspended sentence by a French court after reposting content related to the Israel-Gaza conflict on social media
Algerian national team member Youcef Atal, who is part of the French club OGC Nice, has received a suspended sentence and a €45,000 fine ($49,000) after reposting content related to the Israel-Gaza conflict on social media. The court issued a statement on Wednesday, obtained by CNN, announcing Mr. Atal's guilty verdict and the penalties of an 8-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine.
The court in Nice determined that the repost incited religious hatred, as reported by Reuters. In addition to this, the 27-year-old Atal is required to cover the cost of publishing details of the conviction in the French newspapers Nice Matin and Le Monde, as ordered by the court.
The day after the Hamas attack on October 7, Atal re-shared a 35-second video by a Palestinian preacher who invoked God to bring a "black day over the Jews," as reported by French newspaper Nice-Matin via Reuters.
Following the deleted post, Atal later issued an apology, stating on Instagram: "I am aware that my post shocked many people, which was not my intention, and I apologize."
Atal, pictured at Nice courthouse, southern France, was given a suspended sentence and a fine.
Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images
CNN has contacted the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France for a comment. According to Le Monde, the council filed a complaint against the player in October.
OGC Nice, currently in second place in the Ligue 1 table, suspended player Youcef Atal for reposting on social media. The club had a conversation with Atal upon his return from Algeria national team duty on October 9.
"OGC Nice recognizes that the player has admitted his mistake by promptly removing the shared publication and issuing a written public apology. However, due to the nature and severity of the shared publication, the club has chosen to impose immediate disciplinary measures on the player, independent of any potential actions by sports or legal authorities.
Therefore, OGC Nice has announced the suspension of Youcef Atal until further notice," the club stated.
CNN has contacted OGC Nice to request a comment on Atal's suspended sentence and fine. Defender Atal has been included in Algeria's squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, as announced in a list released by the Confederation of African Football on Sunday.
